The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the UAB has developed a pioneering index that indicates, street by street, the areas with the highest risk of neighbourhood displacement due to climate change. Badia del Vallès, Sant Cugat, and Castelldefels are highlighted as particularly vulnerable enclaves.
The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) has presented the first index of vulnerability to climate gentrification in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The tool, freely accessible on an interactive platform, allows users to consult the risk neighbourhood by neighbourhood and block by block across the 36 municipalities that make up the conurbation.
The study, framed within the ClimateJusticeReady project, has been led by researchers Isabelle Anguelovski and Amalia Calderón-Argelich, with analysis by Lisa Hannuschke. The Sindicat de Llogateres and the technical section of the Office of Climate Change and Air Quality of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) have collaborated on this project.
The index does not predict with certainty which areas will gentrify, but it does specify the factors that make an area more susceptible: exposure to heat, access to green spaces, social vulnerability, age of buildings, and public facilities. The map assigns colours ranging from yellow (lower risk) to purple (higher vulnerability).
Among the enclaves that stand out for their vulnerability are Badia del Vallès, Valldoreix, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Castelldefels, some areas of Sant Boi de Llobregat, and Torrelles de Llobregat. Dense neighbourhoods in the north of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and the Besòs also appear, where the population is considered “easily displaceable” due to their high social and economic vulnerability.
Climate change, the researchers warn, could become a variable that intensifies population movements. Peri-urban areas closer to green spaces and natural environments could become more attractive to those seeking to escape urban heat, which would drive up housing prices and displace current residents.
This phenomenon has already been documented in cities like Boston and Miami, linked to flooding and rising sea levels. The ICTA-UAB project is one of the first to systematically analyse it in the European Mediterranean context. “This is the first time that this level of detail and this combination of variables are available in one place, visually and immediately,” the researchers highlight.
The researchers emphasise the need for municipalities at risk to prevent or implement measures so that residents can remain in their localities if these gain climate appeal. The index aims to serve as a diagnostic tool for local governments to act before displacements become irreversible.
For residents of the metropolitan area, the map can be a useful resource to understand the risk in their neighbourhood and anticipate possible changes in the real estate market. The platform is available on the project’s website and will be updated with new data as the research progresses.
You may also like
